


And Frightened Miss Muffet Away

by mydeira, Sadbhyl



Series: Responsible Adults (aka, The Menageaverse) [56]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-26
Updated: 2012-06-26
Packaged: 2017-11-08 14:42:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/444293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydeira/pseuds/mydeira, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadbhyl/pseuds/Sadbhyl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The conversation at the end of As You Were between Spike and Buffy goes a little differently in this reality.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Frightened Miss Muffet Away

**Author's Note:**

> An epilogue to Along Came A Spider.
> 
> Written by Sadbhyl, beta'd by Mydeira

Spike could sense her presence, even though she had opened the crypt door silently so as not to alert him. Even without his acute sense of smell, he would have been aware of her. There was an energy that came off of her that coruscated over his skin whenever she was near, making him aware of her presence, her movements. Near being a relative term. He could practically feel it every time she left her house.

Didn’t expect to see you tonight,” he said, not rising from his chair, not putting down his beer. “Thought you had a gathering of the tribe or some such.”

She remained silent.

Finally, concerned, he turned to look at her. “Buffy?”

“Something . . . happened. Tonight.” Her voice was flat and lost, pulling him to his feet in concern. “With my dad. Well, no, really with my mom. And Giles and Ethan.”

“What happened? Are they . . .” He stepped towards her. To his surprise, she stepped back. She never backed away from him, not anymore. He stopped.

“I thought I understood. What they had, what they were. I thought . . . I thought you could have a relationship without it meaning anything. They kept saying it wasn’t about love, they weren’t in love, they were just seeing to their needs. So I thought it was okay.”

“Pet, I don’t understand . . .”

“But it isn’t, don’t you see?” She interrupted him desperately, and for the first time he could see the tears tracing down her face. “Because they were wrong. They do love each other. And if they love each other, then I . . .”

He waited endless, agonizing moments for her to speak again before finally coaxing her, “So what is this, then? Are you telling me . . .”

“I can’t love you, Spike.” But she said it with little conviction, as though pleading with him to help her, to understand. “Being with you makes things simpler for a little while. But I’m just being weak and selfish.”

“I’m not complaining,” he said softly, taking the risk of moving one step towards her.

“But you love me, don’t you?” She dashed away her tears with a sniffle, never taking her eyes off him.

“I do. Haven’t made a secret of it, you know I do.”

“But I don’t . . . I can’t . . . God, I’m just so confused!”

Her obvious pain was agony to him. If he could just touch her, hold her trembling body close, he knew he could bring her some peace. “Buffy, love, it’s not that hard . . .” He stepped forward, reaching out for her.

“No!” She backpedaled quickly out of his reach, warding him off with one tiny hand. “I just . . . I need to figure this out. I just need . . . You need to leave me alone, Spike. Just . . . give me some time to . . .” Her words trailed off, that haunted, lost look returning to her face before she turned and raced out of the crypt.

There was no way he was going to leave it like that. He didn’t know what the hell had happened to her tonight, but he’d be damned before he let her run off without talking this through. Not this time.

But as though timed by God himself, sunrise lanced through the trees just as he stepped off the apron of the crypt, driving him back into the dark recesses of his home, where he could only watch in frustration as she disappeared into the daylight.


End file.
